Prepay gas-meter attachment.



T. J. MARTIN. PREPAY GAS METER ATTACHMENT. APPLIOATION $11.31) NOV. 18,1907.-

918,877,- Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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A'mfimw DWENroR 292 v 4 'P Tomas JMartin.

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APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, 1907.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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T. J. MARTIN. PREPAY GAS METER ATTACHMENT.

AIPLIOATION FILED NOV. 18, 1907. 918 ,877 Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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INYENTQR Thomas JMaflim IBY WATTYS.

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PREPAY GAS-WETER ATTAC I-HVIENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Application filed November 18, 1907. Serial No. 402,621.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs J. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio haveinvented certain new and.

useful Improvements in Prepay Gas-Meter Attachments, and do declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description scribed andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a gas meter with the top or cover removed andshowing mechanism for connecting the prepay attachment operativelytherewith. Fig. 2 is a .1 side elevation of the meter and attachmentcombined. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional elevation of theattachment and a portion of the meter on line 3-3, Figs. 1 and 2,looking inward. Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view on line 4+4, Fig. 5, andFig. 5 is a vertical section on line 55, Fig. 3, showing the parts inreceiving position for coin. Fig. 6 is a section 011 same line as Fig.5, showing parts in coin discharging position. Fig. 7 is a plan view online 7-7, Fig. 3, and Fig. 8 is an elevation on line 8-8, Fig. 3. Fig. 9is an elevation on line 9 9, Fig. 3, and Fig. 10 is taken on line 10-10,Fig. 3.

The meter as a whole is indicated by M and a valve V is located insupplemental inclosure E which is part of my attachment and controls theflow of gas into the meter.

Said valve is operatively connected with the operating mechanism in themain casing B of my attachment and is adapted to be opened and closedthereby as will presently appear. The said casing B is adapted to beaflixed to the meter by any means which will prevent the attachment frombeing tampered with from the outside of the meter, and as to this I donot deem it necessary to enter into details.

Having in mind, now, that the valve V is to be opened by means of coin C(shown in dotted lines) and partsactuated thereby and is to run untilthe value of the coin is obtained in gas measured by the meter itself inthe usual way, we have, first, the side or front coin receiving chamberF, of circular so form in the front of which is a disk or equivalentpart D provided with teeth about its edge and adapted to be rotated bypinion 2 and stem 3 to set the said disk in one position or anotherwithin the limits of its rotation according to the value of the coinused for the time being and the price of gas in the place of use ashereinafter fully described. The coin is introduced through a radialslot 0 in this plate and enters a coin receiver 4, which has parallelside walls 5 and is rotatably mounted in said chamber F on stem 6extending freely through disk D to the outside where a finger bar 7 inhead 7). rigid with spindle ,6 serves to rotate the said coin re ceiverindependently of disk D from receiving position of the coin, Fig. 5,around to discharging position at slot 8, when the coin is dropped afterit has done its work. When the coin enters receiver 4 it rests upon theright angled end of lever L, which is pivoted in its angle'at 9 betweenthe walls 5 and has an inward projection 10 at its other end adapted tobe thrown inward to position dotted lines, Fig. 3 and engage the teethin the periphery of wheel WV. Said wheel is rigidly mounted on shaft S,which is supported upon part of casing indicated by 12, and carries aratchet wheel 13 adapted to take up any rotation of said wheel by pawl14, Fig. 10, and is further rovided with pinion 15 at its inner end. aidpinion stands at the threshold of the mechanism for opening valve V,which occurswhen and as the coin is turned around or forward. fromreceiving position to discharge position below into slot 8, and saidrotation. may be half way, ormore or less, but always serves to effectthe required opening of said valve V through the succeeding mechanism.Now, the means intervening said valve and pinion 15 may be veryconsiderably varied and serve my purpose, but in the present con-'struction I have a line of mechanism comprising a gear 16 sleeved torotate on shaft R and meshing with pinion 15, and having a gear 17 onthe sleeve therewith engaging a differential pinion P. Said inion ismount ed to rotate on gear 18 and has teeth on a larger radius engaginggear wheel or idler 119 19, also mounted to rotate on the side of gear18 and meshing with pinion 20 fixed on shaft B. This gives a planetaryrotation of pinion P and idler 19 about shaft R and makes fixed pinion20 a fulcrum of rotation. This causes wheel 18 to rotate correspondinglyand carries the power to valve V through said wheel and its sleeve 21free to rotate on shaft R and carrying arm 22 rigid therewith andprovided with pin 23 engaged in an open slot lengthwise in valvecontrolling arm 24. Said arm or lever is rigid with valve supportingshaft 26, on which the valve is mounted by its own arm 27. It will beclearly seen from this line of mechanism proceeding initially fromrotatable coin receiver 4 and lever L, that when said receiver is turnedand liberates the coin it has also set in motion the train of partswhich open the valve V. The measure or quantity of gas will flow as theresult of such opening and before the valve is again automaticallyclosed, as occurs when the purchase is exhausted, will depend on thequantity for which the mechanism was initially set. This will differ bythe size or amount of the coin and the price of gas in a given place,prices varying materially in different cities. Thus, assuming that themachine is adapted to receive a half dollar or fifty cent piece, andthat it will purchase 500 feet of gas at one dollar per thousand thestop 30 on the inside of disk D will be carried half way around fromdischarge 8, or say as in Figs. 5 and 6, which is the half way positionalso for coin receiver 4, and the cheaper the gas for the money, thefarther will stop 30 be rotated away from or reversely to said dischargeslot 8. On the other hand if gas be worth say two dollars a thousandstop 30 will be moved only half as far from slot 8, or a quarter turn.Obviously the same mechanism responds to different values in the coinused, and all adjustments are made when the attachment is set up andaccording to price of gas and value of coin and this adjustment remains.It will be noticed that hand grip 33 for stem 3 having lock nut 50 aswell as pinion 2 controlling disk D are h u ed so as to be out of reachfrom the outside of the machine, and spring 34 holds lever L normallyout of contact with gear wheel W.

Now, passing to the mechanism for closing valve V, we find a spring 35which bears frictionally against valve controlling lover or arm 24 and.holds it at any position to which it may be opened by arm 22. It willalso be noticed, Fig. 8, arm 24 has two fingers of varying length onopposite sides of its slot, so that pin 23 on arm 22 will pass out ofsaid slot when it has opened the valve a certain and uniform distance,and then said arm 22 can turn or rotate as much farther as the coinvalue of the coin may have determined,

even to making say two revolutions. ln that case pin 23 will strike arm24 under its long finger and throw said arm still higher, after whichsaid arm will be. out of teach of arm 22 on its return movement andsomething has to be provided to carry said arm 24- back into the path ofpin 23 or valve Y will remain open indefinitely. Of this we shallpresently see. Of course if only a rartial rotation of arm 22 and pin 23out of arm 24 he. made, a reverse movement of arm 22 will carry pin 23back into said open slot and close the valve in its reverse travel, ascsnally occurs. Now, the said closing or reverse movement of arm 22 andother parts proceed initially from the meter, and are determined by thenatural measurements of the meter and with which this mechanism in nosense interferes. All the added mechanism does is to open and close thevalve which determines the flow of gas throiigh the meter. Hence to thisoperative ccnnectimi with the meter 1 employ an extensible shaft N,operatively engaged with shaft 0 on the meter by worm gear in thisinstance, and, as shaft (3 is in the measuring or metering mech anism, lutilize its rotation to operate the valve closing mechanism. To this endl provide shaft N with worm it at its end which meshes with gear 40fixed on shaft it and peratively engaging differential or dot.- bletoothed pinion P through i'ixed pinion 20 on said shaft and pinion 19 ongear 15%. This imparts reverse rotation to large gear in which directlycontrols arm 22, carsing said arm to turn oppositely to the openingmovement for the valve and closing the valve through arm as alreadydescribed. in this action pinion P runs idle on gear 17, which standsstill. Now, if it be that arm 24: has been carried out of return reachby arm 22, as above srggcsted it might be, the said arm 24 is moved backinto the path of arm 22 by pin 41 on plate 4 2 on shaft -13, Figs. 3 andS, and which shaft carries gear at rigid on said shaft. Said gear isrotated through gear 4.6 in mesh with wheel 18 and pinion 47 actuatedthereby and in mesh with gear 44. This gives the desired time move mentwhich will bring arm 24' into engaging position by arm 22 if said arm24- has been carried too high to be otherwise engaged by arm 22.

llhe essential novelty herein resides in the mechanism which enables meto go to any city with my attachmentrcgardlcss of the price of gastherein and adj st the attachment to such price with any size of cointhe machine is adapted to receive. l f the size be fifty cents a largeror a smaller denomination cannot be used because each machine is setarbitrarily for a given size of coin to begin with, and the slot indish 1) through which the coin is introduced will hold one relation oranother to a vertical place acl (l (l cording to the adjustment of saiddisk and coin receiver 4 rotarily through pinion 2. As soon as the coinhas been discharged through slot 8 lever L swings out of engagement withwheel W. Thus I avoid carrying different sizes of wheels or gears tomake changes as prices in different cities would otherwise require toeffect the result I obtain by mere adjustment of parts and withotherwise unchanged and complete equip, ment adapted to any city and anysize of com. I

The attachment as a whole comprises the casing indicated by B, E and Fand the con tained mechanism and extensible shaft N which operativelyconnects valve V with the meter mechanisi It will be understood from theforegoing that when one introduces a coin into receiver 4 he rotates thesame to discharge position by gripping handle 7 for this purpose. LeverL is engaged with Wheel W by the weight of the coin, and the mechanismrunning from said wheel to the valve opens the valve and spring 35 holdsit open. The meter goes to work when the said valve is opened, andmechanism connecting with its shaft 0 through shaft P operates to closethe valve, and the time taken to close it has been determined by thecoin and the amount of forward turn the said mechanism received, whichis now reversed the same amount to close the valve. The opening of thevalve is therefore by hand and the closing by the meter.

l/Vhat I claim is 1. A pre-pay attachment for gas meters comprising agas controlling valve, a rotatable coin receiver and means to adjust andset the said receiver according to the price of t e gas to be metered,in combination with a coin support within said coin receiver of elbowshape and pivoted in its angle therein, and means to open said valveoperatively engaged by one arm of said coin receiver.

2. In a pre-pay attachment for gas meters, a casing having a coinreceiving chamber, a coin receiver rotatably mounted therein, a coinsupport pivotally mounted in said receiver and constructed with two armsat right angles to each other and one of said arms to support the coin,in combination with a gas controlling valve and mechanism to open saidvalve operatively engaged with the other arm of said coin support.

3. In a pre-pay attachment for gas, a casing having a coin receivingchamber, a rotary adjustable face plate therefor provided with a coinslot, a rotatable coin receiver within said casing adapted to engagesaid face plate and rotate the same, and a lever of substantially bellcrank shape pivoted in its angle in said receiver and adapted to supportthe coin on one arm and provided with a projection on the other armadapted to make operating connections with a valve controllingmechanism.

4. A pre-pay attachment for gas comprising a coin receiver adapted to berotated to discharge the coin, a right angled lever pivoted therein andconstructed at one end to make power connections with the gascontrolling mechanism and at the other end to support the coin, arotatable disk in front of said receiver having a slot to introduce thecoin and a stop to limit the reverse rotation of said receiver.

5. In a pre-pay attachment for gas meters,

a casing having a chamber and a rotatable front plate therefor providedwith a slot to introduce the coin and a stop on its back, in combinationwith a coin receiver in said chamber adapted to be set opposite saidslot and in contact with said stop, means to rotate said receiver todischarge the coin, and a valve actuating and coin supporting leverpivotally supported in said receiver and adapted to carry the coin, anda spring to release said lever when the coin is dropped therefrom.

6. In pre-pay attachments for gas meters,

a casing having a chamber and a rotatable disk in its face provided withteeth about its periphery and a spindle and pinion to rotate said disk,said disk having a coin entering slot and a stop on its back, incombination with a coin receiver behind said disk adapted to engage saidstop and a pivoted coin support in said receiver provided with a spindleto rotate the same.

7. A pre-pay attachment for gas meters, comprising a valve adapted toopen and close the flow of gas to the meter and mechanism to open saidvalve, in combination with coin controlled mechanism adapted topre-determine the volume of gas passed into the meter by said valve,said mechanism comprising a coin receiver rotarily adjustable, a rightangled lever pivoted in said receiver and having one arm adapted tocarry the coin and the other arm provided with a projection adapted tomake operating connection with said valve opening mechanism.

8. In pre-pay attachments for gas meters,

a meter and a valve at the entrance of gas thereto, mechanismoperatively connected with said valve to open the same comprising coincontrolled parts rotarily adjustable according to the price and volumeof gas to be metered, said parts consisting of a rotatably adjustabledisk provided with a slot to introduce the coin, a coin receiver behindsaid disk adapted to be rotarily limited according to the value of thecoin, a double armed coin support pivoted in said receiver andconstructed in one arm to make operating engagement with said valveopening mechanism, and a fixed inclosing casing between which and saidpivoted coin support the coin is oppositely engaged at its edge.

9. In coin controlled attachments for gas meters, a valve for the gaspassage, in combination with means to determine the duration the valveis open according to the value of the coin comprising a rotatable coinreceiver and means to iix the arc of rotation thereof, a right angledcoin support pivoted in its angle in said receiver and a drum confiningthe coin on said support, a line of mechanism adapted to open said valveand said coin support having a projection at its otherwise free endadapted to engage with said line of mechanism when the coin is restingthereon, and means to turn said receiver and support together todischarge the coin and release the support from said line of mechanism.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of twoWitnesses.

THOMAS J. MARTIN.

\Vitnesses H T. FISHER, F. C. MUssUN.

